Process for producing crude and fumed zinc oxide



F. A. BRINKER sept. 13,1932.

PROCESS FOR PRODUGING CRUDE AND FUMED ZINC OXIDE Filed April 20. 1927 kwm Q@ ATTO/@NE Patented Sept. 13, 1932 Urfa n! STA TES FREDERIC A.BEINKEE, or DENVER, oonomilno PEocEss- EonV rnonncnve CRUEE'AND EUMED ZINC oxrnE Application ined april 2o,

The object of this invention is to ,provide a process wherein zinc sulfatesolution may be employed as' the Isource of zinc in the production of acrude zinc oxide'of a fumed zinc oxide, or both. y p

In the operation of the process the crude z inc oxide is formed in either case, this crude oxide being converted when the fumed product is desired. Briefly stated, the process comprises mixing at least a part of the zinc sulfate solution withy an absorbent material, preferably carbonaceous .such as saw-dust, or coal, to which may added oxidizedv zinc ores and the like, whereby a wet cake is formed. ASaid cake is thenintroduced into a drying and desulfatizing zone into which the remainder of the solution, ifv any, may be sprayed', air beingexcluded as far as possible to avoid complete consumption of the car- K bon. Here the sulfate ispconverted Ainto a crude Zinc oxide containing appreciable or large amounts of carbon.` When a pure fumed product is desired, the crude product containing carbon is passed, preferably without cooling, into a two-zone reverberatory furnace, Wetherill grate furnaceor the like,

.the first zone of which'constitutes areduction zone, the carbon introduced with the crude oxide being for thevmost part the reducing agent; ther reduced vvapor is l,then passed to the second zone ofpsaid furnace which is an oxidation Zone into which air is introduced whereby the zinc vapor is oxidized and a fumed product formed which is passed to the bag house. l Heat from this zone may be employedto heat the dehydrating and desulfatizingzone, while gases and vapors from the latter may be passedl to a sulfatizing furnace in which the sulfate is produced, said gases being relied upon to furnish fuel (CO) and sulfur gases required in the sulfatizing roast. c This process has been designed to accomplish in the most advantageous manner the three major steps, namely,

l. Dehydrating the zinc sulfate solution, 2. Desulfatizing the Zinc sulfate to form crude ZnO containing carbon, i

.3. Reduction yand subsequent oxidationy of 1927. serial no.' 185,190;

the zinc of fthe crude oxide 4to form a pure fumed product.

In these st eps large amounts .of carbonaceous lmat'erial are required both as fuel to provide heat andfor reducing purposes, and M invention resides also in carrying on and combining the .various steps so as to l. Minimize ythe fuel for reduction,

2. Minimize the fuel for heat,

8;Eliminate waterand sul-fur efliciently, Bi)

both from economical standpoints,and l v f 4:. Produce a pure fumed-oxide from the and -Inetallurgical and desulfatizing step.' i

The invention resides notronly in thevarious features' above :pointed out buty also in such other novel features, steps and combinacrude zinc oXide formed in the dehydratingV y tions thereof as may be elsewhere herein dis# W .l Y a!" closed. 1

` IN DETAIL p n lThe various stepsofthe invention and the general -typesof apparatus required are indicated.diagrammatically in the accompanyu ing drawing wherein the' primary reactions alsoare set forth.V

Apparatus and materials The apparatusindicated,consists of a mixer so ofalmost any design for comminglingthe liquids and solids, a furnace for dehydrating and desulfatizing .the 'wet cake, a reverberatory type ofV furnace (or theflike) `having two chambers in .thefirstof whichthe crude 85 oxide from thedesulfatizing furnace is reducedtozinc vapor and inthe second of which the zinc vapor is oxidized, yand a trail and bag house in which the fumed ,product is collected.` This equipmentmay be hooked p0 up with a sulfatizing furnace to which ithe gases from Athe desulfatizing Zone are passed, andvwith the device for leaching out the zinc sulfate from the sulfatizing furnace, the

Asulfate ,solution (preferably afterv having 05 L. been passed through a concentrating evapof rater)v ,being .conducted to the l mixer andto thedehydrating zone. This Vsolution should a beas concentrated as possible, and the concentrator may be heated `bywaste heat from y100 the oxidation zone of the reverberatory furnace.

In the mixer all or only a portion of the sulfate solution is added to a carbonaceous solid which performs the manifold function of a carrier or absorbent for the solution, a mechanical agent for increasing the evaporative surface, and a source of carbon for reduction both in the desulfatizing zone and in the reduction to zinc vapor. rEhe amount of such material added at this point may bel Dehydratz'ng and desulfatz'ez'ag vThe wet cake or pulp formed in the mixer is passed in any manner into the drying end of the dehydrating and desulfatizing furnace. As the temperature of the cake is raised, the water is driven off in the form of steam, and, if any portion of the zinc sulfate solution is to be added in this furnace, it is sprayed upon Vor otherwise added to the drying cake after some of the water has been driven from said cake but before the temperature has increased materially. With increase of temperature the water is all driven off including that combined with the sulfate. Beginning at about 550 C., carbon and' CO commence to react with the zinc sulfate yielding' ZnO, SO2, CO and small quantities of CO2. At 600O C. to 700 C., the reaction is very rapid and complete. No air is required and only that which leaks in will be present, so that a considerable amount of unoxidized carbonaceous material will be present in the resulting crude zinc oxide. rlhe necessary heat for this furnace can be supplied either entirely or in part by the waste heat from the oxidation zone'of the reverberatory furnace, while the ygases including the water vapor may be and preferably will be conducted to a sulfatizing furnace in order to supply the additional SO2 necessary for the sulfatizing reaction, as well as to supply fuel for heat in the form of CO, as more fully set forth hereinafter.

The efficiency of the work done in the dehydrating and desulfatizing furnace is very high because f 1f. Dehydration takes place at a low temperature,

2. Desulfatization takes place at the lowest possible temperature (the temperature is gradually approached and when reached the reaction occurs), and v 3. Waste heat from the oxidation zone of the reverberatory furnace can be utilized.

rlhe chief reactions in this portion of the process are:

Reduction and oxidation The crude zinc oxide containing the unoxidized carbonaceous matter may be treated elsewhere subsequently, but according to the preferred practice itis passed from the desulfatizing furnace directly to the reduction zone of a reverberatory furnace, or a Wetherill grate furnace, or whatever type may be used for the purpose. Preferably also, this transfer is. made without any cooling of the crude oxide whose temperature upon discharge is about 700o C.; thus maximum conservation of heat is obtained. If necessary, additional reducing agent is introduced, although ordinarily suficient of this is origi nally introduced in the cake or pulp fed to the dehydration zone. In addition sufficient heat is applied to raise the temperature to the reduction point (1000o C. to 1200o C.)

whereby metallic zinc vapor is formed according to the reaction ZnOlG=Zn (vapor) +CO.

- The zincV vapor and the gases pass through the throat to the oxidation zone wherein the zinc is oxidized at 800 C. to 1000o C. by the addition of air together with the oxidation of the carbon monoxide, thus:

Zn (vapor) +O=ZnO, CO -l- O CO2 -lheat.

before preparing the cake, as above indicated.

Waist@ gases for suZ/ata'ez'ng The waste gases from the desulfatizing zone, as previously mentioned, may be used i as a convenient source of additional sulfur for the efficient production of ZnSOi from zinc ores in a sulfatizing furnace wherein sulfur trioxide is formed from the sulfur dioxide by the catalytic effect of Fe2O3, and zinc sulfide is roasted to oxide which is then converted into sulfate by the action of the sulfur trioxide, according to the following reactions:

Also the carbon monoxide `in said waste gases acts as a fuel for supplying the additional heat required in the sulfatizing furnace, thus:

The zinc sulfate is then leached from the gangue, and upon being concentrated is readyV for mixing into cake and passing to the dehydrating and desulfatizing furnace.

I claim:

l. A process for producing fumed zinc oxide comprising commingling zinc sulfate solution with a carbonaceous material containing carbon in excess of requirements for desulfatizing the sulfate, dehydrating the mixture, roasting to desulfatize the same and produce a crude zinc oxide containing carbonaceous matter, treating the crude oxide to reduce the same tozinc Vapor whereby the contained carbonaceous matter promotes said reduction, and oxidizing said zinc vapor.

2. A process for producing fumed vzinc oxide comprising commingling zinc sulfate solution with a carbonaceous absorbent to form a pulp, drying said pulp, roasting the same to yield a zinc oxide, said carbonaceous absorbent being present in suicient quantity to form an excess of carbon which is carried over with said oxide, passing said oxide and contained carbon Without cooling into a reducing zone wherein zinc Vapor is formed, and oxidizing said vapor to form fumed oxide.

3. In the production of zinc oxide, a process comprising heat-treating zinc ores to form sulfates, leaching out the zinc sulfate so formed, mixing the resulting zinc solution with a carbonaceous material, dehydrating the mixture, desulfatizing the dehydrated mixture to yield zinc oxide and gases containing sulfur and combustible gas, and passing said gases into contact with said ores in the sulfating step to furnish heat and sul- ,fur for the sulfating operation.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein excess heat from the final oxidizing zone is employed to dehydrate and desulfatize said mixture. l

5. In the production of zinc oxide a process comprising heat-treating zinc ores to form sulfates, leaching out the sulfates so formed, mixing the resultingfzinc sulfate solution with a carbonaceous absorbent to form a pulp, drying the pulp, roasting the same to yield zinc oxide and gases containing sulfur, passing said gases into contact with said ores to furnish sulfur for the sulfating operation, said carbonaceous absorbent being present in sufficient quantity to form an excess of carbon which is carried over with the zinc oxide, passing said oxide and contained carbon into a reducing zone where zinc vapor is formed and oxidizing said vapor to form fumed oxide.

6. In the production of zinc oxide a processl comprising heat treating zinc ores to rform sulfates, leaching out the zinc sulfate so formed, mixing the resulting zinc solution with a ,carbonaceous material, dehydrating the mixture and desulfatizing the dehy- 1 zincy oxide.

8. A process according to claim 6 followed by reducing the oxide to form zinc vapor, oxidizing te zinc Vapor to form a fumed zinc'oxide and employing the excess heat from the final oxidizing step to dehydrate and desulfatize the zinc sulfate solution.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

FREDERIC A. BRINKER. 

